PURE Mexico Retreat

About the Retreat

Rest and Relax with your friends at PURE!

A sample schedule

Daily Bikram Yoga and workshops

About the Teacher

Jeff Chen

After my first class in New York City in April 2000, I realized that yoga was much more than stretching and breathing. Bikram Yoga is tough! The physical intensity, focus and concentration improved my kendo practice (Japanese sword), while whittling away the aches and pains I had learned to live with.

After 19 years of working the financial industry, I attended Bikram’s Teacher Training in the fall of 2008. I am fascinated with the health benefits of Bikram Yoga and am inspired by student testimonials we hear on a constant, almost daily basis.

That prompted Mardy and I to found PURE Action, Inc., dedicated to scientific research of yoga, bringing yoga to under–served communities, and educating the world of its benefits. Hot yoga, specifically, produces a myriad of benefits on the physical level that can be measured and studied. Long with Dr. Stacy Hunter, we just completed a three year study to determine the benefits of added heat: The “Hot” in “Hot Yoga”!

Mardy Chen

Mardy has been practicing Bikram Yoga since 1998 and received her certification from Bikram Yoga College of India in the Spring of 2002. She opened our original Westlake (Davenport) location in 2003, and together with her husband Jeff expanded to the four current locations at PURE. Mardy is dedicated to bringing Bikram Yoga, the original “Hot Yoga,” to Austin in its purest form. The greatest reward of being a studio owner is witnessing the startling transformations in beginning students and helping them motivate themselves to develop long–term yoga practices to reap and maintain the health benefits of this unique system of hatha yoga.

Optional Excursions (additional fee applies):

Accomodation

Casa Om has 10 beautiful bedrooms and bathrooms, a spacious and well equipped yoga room, swimming pool, a rooftop dining area and 2 kitchens. Bedrooms can set for either single or double occupancy, and have either a private bathroom or a bathroom shared between two rooms. Casa Om also has a new dorm that sleeps up to 6 people in bunk beds.

The rooms at Casa Om are comfortable and beautifully designed with air conditioning and fans. Drinking water and wifi are provided. Casa Om sleeps 24 and is across the street from the beach.

Cuisine

At Casa Om we run a full gourmet vegetarian kitchen. We offer extensive Mexican, Thai, New American, and Lebanese food options. Visitors love our fresh juices and superfood smoothies. All dishes are prepared with a healthy yogic lifestyle in mind. We love to make gluten free and vegan meals as well.

We will include breakfast each morning and dinner 4 nights out of the 6 you are with us. The other nights we will venture out into town.

Our head chef, Eduardo, is a former restaurateur; he brings more than 10 years of professional cooking experience to Casa Om. He is passionate about food and his cooking classes are a favorite amongst our visitors. Those passionate about cuisine will find a like-minded soul.

Activites

Cenotes The Mexican Riviera is flush with these beautiful underground pools and a trip here isn’t complete without a dip in these refreshing waters. There are multiple cenotes to visit that are much less crowded than those in the Tulum area and only about 30min away by car. Find tranquility below ground or liven you experience with a cenote/zip line combination. Both options are available and booking at least a day in advance is recommended.

Snorkeling & Snuba The biodiversity on the protect reef in the Mexican Riviera is stunning. Take off for an afternoon when the sun lights up the corals, tropical fish and sponges and search for turtles or reef sharks. Snorkelers can float above it all while snuba divers (no certification needed) can swim down into the tropical traffic. Either option will highlight why this area is protected and turned into a National Marine Park. Yogis can walk to the beach and take a 5min stroll to reach the operator. This natural oasis is literally steps from our retreat center.

Scuba If you’re a diver there’s twice the opportunity here, you can dive in the coral reefs or, for something a little different, take a cavern or cenote dive. Seasonally the more adventurous (crazy?) yogis can also try a bull shark dive…eek! Tons of diving options await the intrepid.

Akumal Sea Turtle Snorkel The warm Caribbean waters off of the Mexican Riviera boast sea turtle populations year–round. You can outfit with a dive shop to snorkel with these lovelies or head out with your own gear and see if you get lucky.

Coba Ruins The Mayan ruins at Coba is one of the few sites in the Yucatan that is still relatively unrestored. Many of these ancient buildings are the same as when they were rediscovered in 1890. The beautiful location is less hectic and touristy than other Mayan sites and is certainly worth the day trip.

Casa Om Spa Whether you’re looking for an amazing massage or energy work, The Travel Yogi team can tell you first hand how amazing the team at Casa Om is. Please be prepared to book early to secure a spot. Once the word gets out from the first few massages, they’ll book up quickly!

Playa del Carmen Take a shopping trip, have a great meal, or just enjoy people watching on a trip to Playa del Carmen. This is a fun tourist spot where you can shop for anything from cheap souvenirs to boutique items.